


Apis

by Eggling



Series: daemon au [7]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Gen, daemon AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 06:41:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18987340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggling/pseuds/Eggling
Summary: Zoe's daemon receives his name.





	Apis

“Zoe.” The headmaster laced his fingers together, sitting up in his chair to give her a cold, slightly patronising smile. He had always seemed to loom over her, suffocating her in his shadow and his politely-worded expectations – but before, her daemon could shift to a larger form in response, standing toe-to-toe with his leopard. Now she was trapped, her daemon stuck in honeybee form, and yet she found herself calm and collected under his gaze. “What can I do for you?”

“It’s -” She swallowed, forcing away the nicknames that sprung to mind. They were about to be given his true name, she reminded herself sternly. The headmaster would not approve of the names she had given to her daemon herself. “It’s my daemon. He settled this morning.”

“Did he, now?” The headmaster’s daemon flicked her tail as he spoke, stepping up to the desk in anticipation. “Put him on the table and we’ll have a look at him, then.”

Reluctantly, Zoe put her hand on the desk, letting her daemon crawl from her finger onto the polished wood. The headmaster tapped the microscope by his elbow, and Zoe’s daemon flew over to land dutifully under the lens. A slight twinge from the discomfort of separation made Zoe wince, but she hardly noticed it, too preoccupied with nervousness. Her daemon seemed so fragile, and for a moment her mind was filled with the thought of him simply being crushed, and the life being sucked out of both of them. She dismissed the worry as irrational, but a note of panic had already settled into her. Under the microscope, her daemon was all but trembling with the urge to fly away, and Zoe closed her eyes, trying to will him into staying still.

The headmaster was peering through the microscope serenely, a stark contrast to her turbulent thoughts. “A perfect honeybee,” he said, his voice oozing with smug satisfaction. “I had some doubts about your suitability, you know, but a honeybee daemon will do very nicely.”

Her daemon hurriedly crawled out from beneath the microscope, buzzing across the desk to settle on Zoe’s wrist again. “Will I be receiving an assignment soon?” she asked. A part of her was still screaming in terror, longing to run her hands over her daemon, to cling onto some reassuring form, but she did not allow herself to listen. Their settled form had stripped her of that luxury.

The headmaster smiled down at her, and once again Zoe felt as if he only saw a young girl before him. “Your education is nearly complete, and you have one of the more desirable forms for your daemon. I would go so far as to say you will be in great demand.”

“And his name?” The matter of what to call him ought to have been a simple one, an issue of convenience rather than enjoyment, but Zoe found her heart beating faster in anticipation anyway.

“Ah, yes, the name.” Running his finger down a panel in the desk, the headmaster opened a projected screen. Zoe watched intently as he pulled up a database and spent a long moment searching through it. “Here we are. Honeybee daemons. You’re rather lucky, you know. Not many of our graduates obtain a form such as yours. You have _Apis mellifera-459_.”

Zoe mouthed the words, smiling down at her daemon. At last, a proper name, she thought with a rush of pride. A name she could use to introduce him to others, something to call him that would not bring ridicule or judgement upon them. Still clinging to her wrist, her daemon – _Apis mellifera-459_ , she reminded herself – rattled his wings, pleased with having been given his name.

“Remember your training, Zoe,” the headmaster said warningly. “A suitable daemon is meaningless without it.”

“Of course,” Zoe said hastily, quashing her excitement. Standing up, she smoothed out her uniform, keeping her back straight and her expression as blank as possible. “Thank you, sir.”

“A carrying case for insect daemons will be delivered to you shortly.” The headmaster turned back to his screen. “I have entered your daemon’s designation in the Elite Program’s databases, and I feel confident that our scientific and business partners will be in contact soon after your graduation.” He smiled, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. A hint of pride flickered across his face, so brief Zoe was almost convinced she had imagined it, but her heart leapt regardless. “I am so glad that you have realised your potential, Zoe. You will make an excellent representative for our institution.”

He waved his hand idly, letting her know that she was dismissed. Nodding in farewell, she turned to leave his office, keeping her steps carefully measured and her breathing even until she was some distance away. Only when she was sure she was alone and out of sight, carefully concealed within an alcove, did she raise her daemon up to her eye level, beaming at him. “ _Apis mellifera-459_ ,” she whispered almost reverently. “Apis-459.” Footsteps were echoing down the corridor towards her, and she stepped out of the alcove, assuming a bland, disinterested expression. The cluster of other students passed her without a second glance, and she carried on down the corridor, working on burying the flashes of excitement that were still plaguing her.

Hidden beneath her uniform sleeve, Apis-459 was rattling his wings with joy again.


End file.
